The Virtual British Open Round 3: Nine for the lead
By Bill Felber
With 18 holes remaining, Britisher Ted Ry holds a precarious lead over a host of challengers
Eighteen holes from the conclusion of the virtual British Open, nine players remain crammed within six shots of the top of the leaderboard.
For that moment, the top of that board is occupied by Ted Ray, champion of the 1912 British Open. One of the greats of the first two decades of the 20th century, Ray birdied the final two holes Saturday at Royal St. George’s to break open a day-long battle for the lead he had been waging with Walter Hagen.
Ray has put together consistent rounds of 64-65-65 to position himself to make a run at the championship.
Winner of the virtual PGA Championship in May, Hagen appeared to have a solid grip on the lead most of Saturday. Until Ray birdied the par 5 14th – the legendary Suez Canal Hole – Hagen had held or shared first the entire round. His Saturday card included seven birdies offset by three bogeys for a 66 that left him two strokes behind Ray.
But with a difficult 18 holes remaining to be played, the contenders were tightly bunched behind Ray and Hagen. 1880s three-time British Open champion Bob Ferguson shot a superb 64 to assume third place at -13, three behind Ray.
Henrik Stenson, the 2016 winner, shot 68 and was one of three players at 12-under. He joined George Duncan and Jamie Anderson at that figure. Perhaps the greatest champion of them all, Jack Nicklaus, fashioned a 67 that left him tied with 1925 champion Jim Barnes and five-time winner Peter Thomson at -11, five behind Ray.
And don’t count out Seve Ballesteros, one of several players in the field known for their Sunday sprints. Although six behind, Ballesteros carded a 68 Saturday.
One of Saturday’s notable moves was made by three-time British Open champion Tiger Woods. After finishing an indifferent 36 holes at one-over 141, Woods opened eagle-birdie Saturday, birdied two of the final four holes, and closed with a 65, by far his best showing of the week.
He’s still a dozen strokes off the lead, but that round did position him to make a run at the top 10 with a good effort Sunday. Woods sits in a tie for 21st at minus-4.
Mark O’Meara, the 1998 British Open champion, joined Ferguson in making the biggest move Saturday. O’Meara also shot 64, finishing in a tie for 20th at 5-under.
On a Royal St. George’s course pockmarked for the second consecutive day by rain, the roster of all-time champions handled the less-than-ideal conditions well. The average score Saturday was actually about a third of a stroke under par.
Here are the full 54-hole scores.
Player 1 – 2 – 3- Tot.
Ted Ray 64-65-65-194
Walter Hagen 64-66-66-196
Bob Ferguson 67-66-64-197
Henrik Stenson 66-64-68-198
George Duncan 66-67-65-198
Jack Nicklaus 66-65-68-199
Peter Thomson 67-66-66-199
Jim Barnes 71-61-67-199
Seve Ballesteros 63-69-68-200
Hugh Kirkaldy 68-65-68-201
Reg Whitcombe 67-68-66-201
John H. Taylor 67-67-67-201
Zach Johnson 66-70-65-201
Harry Vardon 68-67-67-202
Roberto deVicenzo 67-64-71-202
Ernie Els 66-69-69-204
Young Tom Morris 68-70-66-204
Jack Simpson 63-67-74-204
Henry Cotton 67-67-71-205
Willie Park Sr. 71-69-65-205
Mark O’Meara 69-72-64-205
Sandy Herd 67-72-66-205
Tiger Woods 70-71-65-206
Sandy Lyle 72-68-66-206
David Brown 68-69-69-206
Willie Auchterlonie 72-69-65-206
Willie Fernie 69-72-66-207
Louis Oosthuizen 68-71-68-207
Gary Player 70-72-65-207
Harold Hilton* 65-75-67-207
Nick Faldo 66-69-72-207
Jamie Anderson 62-67-69-208
Fred Daly 78-60-70-208
Arnold Palmer 71-67-70-208
Arthur Havers 71-69-68-208
Tom Watson 68-71-69-208
Shane Lowry 66-72-70-208
James Braid 67-71-71-209
Greg Norman 68-67-74-209
Bob Martin 71-72-66-209
Old Tom Morris 70-68-72-210
Gene Sarazen 69-71-70-210
Kel Nagle 71-68-71-210
Alf Padgham 70-72-68-210
Arnaud Massy 68-67-75-210
Darren Clarke 69-68-74-211
Phil Mickelson 69-72-70-211
Francesco Molinari 68-72-71-211
Justin Leonard 71-72-69-212
Mungo Park 69-68-75-212
Tom Weiskopf 66-73-74-213
Bob Charles 74-66-73-213
Jordan Spieth 70-71-72-213
Jack White 67-75-71-213
Willie Park Jr. 68-74-71-213
Bobby Locke 75-66-73-214
Alf Perry 70-73-71-214
John Ball* 72-71-72-215
Max Faulkner 71-79-65-215
Stewart Cink 77-71-67-215
Johnny Miller 70-72-74-216
Rory McIlroy 72-72-72-216
Ian Baker-Finch 70-77-71-218
Nick Price 75-72-71-218
Lee Trevino 70-75-74-219
Tony Jacklin 74-77-68-219
Mark Calcavecchia 74-78-68-220
David Duval 71-73-76-220
Padraig Harrington 70-77-74-221
Dick Burton 73-68-80-221
Tom Lehman 74-74-75-223
Paul Lawrie 71-77-75-223
Bill Rogers 73-76-74-223
John Daly 71-78-74-223
Todd Hamilton 83-67-75-225
Ben Curtis 74-81-73-228
*denotes amateur